Scuba diver dies off Point Loma coast

POINT LOMA  A 42-year-old scuba diver died while diving about 11.5 miles off the coast of Point Loma Sunday afternoon, a U.S. Coast Guard official said.

The San Diego resident and 11 others were descending to the remains of the Hogan — a sunken World War II destroyer — when an emergency happened underwater forcing him to surface shortly before noon, Coast Guard spokesman Henry Dunphy said. The man was pulled unconscious from the water by his dive partner who then reported the incident from a charter boat called the Marissa.

A Coast Guard boat that was training nearby responded to the area and took the unconscious man and the other diver to Naval Base Point Loma, Dunphy said. Emergency personnel performed CPR on the victim, but he died.

It is unclear what led to the man's death, Dunphy said. The victim's name was not released.

The Hogan participated in the assault on Iwo Jima during World War II. The 314-foot-long ship was sunk, as a target, off San Diego on November 8, 1945. It rests about 125 feet below the surface, a depth often reserved for more experienced divers.